East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study

Project Background

East River Road (CSAH 1) is a vital transportation link for the cities of Fridley and Coon Rapids, as well as other Anoka County residents and business and other stakeholders in the region. It provides an alternate route to Minneapolis for working commuters and pass-through traffic, but also provides local access for residents and businesses. Based on the 2030 Comprehensive Plans of Fridley and Coon Rapids and Anoka County’s 2030 Transportation Plan, it is apparent that there will be increased pressure placed on this corridor in the next 20 years, making it imperative that needed short-term and long-term transportation improvements be identified. To accomplish this, the cities of Fridley and Coon Rapids worked with Anoka County and with a consultant team led by Kimley-Horn and Associates to undertake an East River Road (CSAH 1) Corridor Study.

Project Description

The project area includes the five-mile stretch of East River Road (CSAH 1) between Highway 610 in Coon Rapids and Interstate 694 (I-694) in Fridley from north to south; from east to west, it includes the area between the Mississippi River and University Avenue, about a one-mile wide stretch.

Priorities of the cities of Fridley and Coon Rapids include developing future land use options and understanding the resultant affect on traffic flow, mobility, and safety; developing a more multimodal transportation system including transit and trail connections; and making improvements to the visual quality of the corridor. Anoka County’s primary objectives for this project are to improve safety, integrating a multimodal approach, and relieving congestion. Elements of the State Health Improvement Program (SHIP) are also integrated into the concepts developed for the corridor.

Work Elements

The study has four main work elements which culminated in a final corridor study report:

Work Elements
Task / Issue
Public and Agency Involvement
Advisory committees, public open houses, agency meetings, business and property owner meetings, widely communicating project information, including a website.
Corridor Vision and Goals
Interviews with communities and county, first set of public open houses conducted as visioning meetings with public.
Issues Identification and Confirmation
Demographics / land use, transit, trails, safety, access, traffic, freight movements, environmental constraints; confirmation with additional public open houses and public input.
Concepts and Recommendations
Land use, roadway, transit, trail, visual quality concepts, and recommendations; cost estimates and implementation plan.

Download Full Corridor Study (PDF)